Building of a powerhouse catches players' attention

Quarterback Vince Young called the new-look Eagles he just joined a "Dream Team."

Defensive end Jason Babin said the Eagles have "sent shock waves throughout the NFL. They sent a message that we're going to win, and this is how we're going to do it. And I love it."

Team president Joe Banner said he's "at the point now where we can we're one of the most desirable places in the league," and admitted having quarterback Michael Vick on the team has helped make the Eagles such a compelling choice for free agents.

This is the general mood of the team today, following a flurry of trade and free-agent activity over the last 48 hours that has landed the Eagles Young, Babin and Pro Bowl cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie.

Only coach Andy Reid was able to temper his enthusiasm with a reality sound bite.

"I welcome all the talent," he said, "but now we've got to coach, we've got to teach, we have to make sure these guys are up to speed."

To that end, they're back at Lehigh University, where today they held their first practice that was open to fans. And they put on a good show.

Rodgers-Cromartie was a terror for quarterbacks, tiny receiver Chad Hall caught everything thrown near him and their quick but inexperienced linebackers were tipping balls and making plays the whole time.

That's about all to report from the morning session, where there were plenty of good seats available in the stands as fans are no doubt waiting for the full-contact sessions to begin tomorrow.

Can't wait myself. That's when we'll really start to see who's in good shape and who's not.

Friday morning blues at Eagles camp

*Cornerback Asante Samuel and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin are still absent with permission for personal reasons. No telling when they'll get back.

*Wide receiver DeSean Jackson is still absent without permission. This will fester, folks. Trust me. And I think we're looking at the beginnings of a very messy divorce, because no way will the Eagles pay him what he thinks he's worth even if they're thinking about starting negotiations right now, which they most definitely are not. In his defense, see Leonard Weaver or Kevin Kolb. Kolb made $12 million from the Eagles just last season alone and is guaranteed more than $20 million more from the Cardinals after starting just seven games in his career. Weaver isn't getting paid at all anymore after failing his physical following a horrific knee injury last season that probably ended his career.

*Guard Danny Watkins, projected as a starter on the right side, is still absent without a contract. This isn't messy yet, but will be if he's still not here next week at this time.

*As for those that are here, the two newest additions are a pair of rookie free agents they just brought in before the morning practice: former Kentucky running back Derrick Locke and former Purdue wide receiver/running back Keith Carlos.

There are now 78 players on the Eagles roster, not counting Watkins.

A two-year letterman at Purdue, Carlos (6-1, 193) moved from wide receiver to running back as a senior and went on to rush for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He appeared in nine games as a junior in 2009, catching 21 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown.

Prior to Purdue, the 23-year-old played at Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA, earning second-team all-conference honors after posting 26 receptions for 459 yards and four touchdowns.

Locke (5-9, 190) amassed 2,618 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns while posting 95 receptions for 883 yards and three touchdowns in his four-year career at Kentucky. Despite missing four games to injury as a senior in 2010, he rushed for 887 yards and ten scores while averaging 26.3 yards on kickoff returns.

Eagles getting ready to rumble

One by one, the Eagles are trickling onto the campus here at Lehigh University, which will be hosting training camp for the 16th straight year.

A couple of early tidbits before heading to coach Andy Reid's 5 p.m. press conference:

*As reported yesterday, safety Kurt Coleman appears primed, physically and mentally, to make that starting job vacated by Quintin Mikell his. He said having Mikell as a mentor last year was "a blessing" and hopes to "take what he gave me and run with it. Ya gotta like the guy, even though he's from Theeeeee Ohio State University.

*Player rep Winston Justice checked in earlier with perhaps not-so-good news about his knee. Said he didn't know if he'll be cleared to practice right away. Sounds like the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to me, at least for the first week or so. Hopefully Reid will clarify.

*Still no word on quarterback Kevin Kolb being traded, or any sighting of disgruntled wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who apparently has until tomorrow to report before being fined anyway (because of this year's late notice for the start of training camps around the league).

Veterans, rookies trickling into NovaCare

Quarterback Michael Vick was among the many Eagles who arrived here at the NovaCare Complex this morning, less than 24 hours after the players voted to accept a new NFL collective bargaining agreement, ending a lockout that lasted more than four months.

Maybe it's because he's not allowed to be hit, but I found it interesting that Vick was disappointed that two-a-days will be virtually eliminated by new restrictions in this latest CBA.

Just as interesting: Vick admitted to not being certain if star wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who is seeking a lucrative contract extension, will even show up Wednesday, when the players are due to report to training camp at Lehigh University.

"DeSean has some things he has to think about," Vick said.

One thing to keep in mind: Jackson now is a client of Drew Rosenhaus, who bragged in a radio interview last week that he hasn't had any client miss a day of training camp in seven years. So if DeSean doesn't show, it's a big deal. A really big deal.

Other general observations:

*DT Mike Patterson appeared leaner than normal.

*RB LeSean McCoy seemed refreshed and happy to see the media horde approach -- until being asked about his recent Twitter war with New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora. That was McCoy's cue to end the interview.

*No Kevin Kolb sightings. Obviously the Eagles are trying to trade their personable backup quarterback, who showed his true leadership ability after being benched last season. Can the trade happen by the end of today? You bet. But don't count on it. More than one team is still in play, or so the Eagles would like to have us believe.

*The Eagles have signed nine rookie free agents, including punter Chas Henry, who won the 2010 Ray Guy award as the nation's top collegiate punter.

Here's the details they provided:

The Philadelphia Eagles today announced they have agreed to terms with the following nine rookie free agents:

WR Perry Baker (6-2, 175) Fairmount State

WR DeAndre Brown (6-6, 233) Southern Mississippi

RB Graig Cooper (5-10, 205) Miami (FL)

P Chas Henry (6-3, 219) Florida

QB Jerrod Johnson (6-5, 251) Texas A&M

LB Brandon Peguese (6-0, 230) Hampton

DT Cedric Thornton (6-4, 309) Southern Arkansas

WR Terrance Turner (6-2, 220) Indiana

TE Martell Webb (6-3, 276) Michigan

Perry Baker finished his career at Division II Fairmount State (West Virginia) with 1,552 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. He led the team as a senior in 2010 with 28 receptions, 501 yards and nine scores. A native of New Smyrna Beach, FL, Baker has NFL bloodlines that include his older brother, Dallas, who played three seasons with the Steelers, and his uncle, Wes Chandler, who played 11 seasons in the NFL and was named to four Pro Bowls.

DeAndre Brown amassed 133 receptions for 2,186 yards and 24 touchdowns in his three-year career at Southern Mississippi. He finished his career ranked fifth in school history in receptions, third in receiving yards and second in touchdown catches, and earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors in 2008. A native of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Brown attended Ocean Springs HS where he was a Parade All-America selection.

Graig Cooper wrapped up his collegiate career at Miami (FL) ranked third in school history in all-purpose yardage (3,864), and fifth in rushing yards (2,387), leading the team in rushing in three consecutive years from 2007-09. He played in 46 games (21 starts) in his career, notching 17 total touchdowns (13 rushing, 3 receiving, 1 punt return). The Memphis, TN, native attended Melrose HS before transferring to Milford Prep as a senior, where he earned first-team all-state accolades.

A four-year letterman at Florida, Chas Henry was the 2010 recipient of the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s top punter. He was a consensus first-team All-America selection after finishing the year with a 45.1-yard average on 50 punts, while also serving as the team’s kicker for part of the season. For his career, Henry punted 165 times for 7,090 yards (43.0 avg.), with a long of 75. A native of Dallas, GA, Henry attended East Paulding High School in Dallas.

Jerrod Johnson finished his collegiate career holding 24 Texas A&M school records including total offense (8,888 yards), passing yards (8,011), completions (650) and touchdown passes (67). He also holds two Big 12 and A&M records for passes without an interception in one season (225 in 2009) and an overall streak without an interception (242 from 2008-09). His best season came as a junior in 2009, when he set five school single-season records in passing yards (3,579), completions (296), attempts (497), touchdowns (30), and total offense (4,085 yards). In addition, Johnson ranked second on the team that season with eight rushing touchdowns. The Houston, TX, native attended Humble HS, where he was named the Houston Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.

Brandon Peguese transferred from South Florida to Hampton following his freshman season and went on to register 179 tackles and 18 sacks in three seasons with the Pirates. He was a second-team All-MEAC performer in 2009 after leading the conference with 7.5 sacks. As a senior in 2010, he posted career highs with 85 tackles and eight sacks. A native of Greensboro, NC, Peguese attended Grimsley High School, where he was an all-state defensive end.

A two-year starter at Division II Southern Arkansas, Cedric Thornton earned first-team All-America honors as a junior after leading the team with 80 tackles and 8.5 sacks. That season, he also led the nation with 23 tackles for a loss while forcing two fumbles and blocking two kicks. As a senior in 2010, he ranked third on the team with 53 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. The Star City, AR, native attended Star City HS.

Terrance Turner closed out his career at Indiana with 143 receptions for 1,436 yards and four touchdowns. His 67 receptions as a senior are the fourth-best single-season total ever by a Hoosiers receiver. A native of Auburn Hills, Michigan, Turner attended West Bloomfield High School, where he was an all-state receiver.

A four-year letterman at Michigan, Martell Webb appeared in 37 career games on special teams and as a reserve tight end, catching nine passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The Pontiac, MI, native attended Northern HS, garnering all-state honorable mention accolades as a senior.

Getting back to business

Where to begin? So much to do now for the Philadelphia Eagles, now that a new collective bargaining agreement is imminent.

First things first: The new deal, which is expected to be ratified by the players by around noon today, reportedly will feature a more accelerated timeline than the one in place just a few days ago. Therefore, the Eagles will be able to start signing their own free agents immediately, while starting trade and other free-agent negotiations as well.

Because trades will not be allowed to be completed until Saturday, this almost certainly would take cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, not to mention all other potential free-agent corners, out of play right out of the box. The Eagles wouldn't sign a high-profile corner and then turn around and trade quarterback Kevin Kolb, as expected, to Arizona for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Also, the plan allows for players to begin reporting to training camp 15 days before their teams' first preseason game. In the Eagles' case, that would be Wednesday.

Where they report is the question. Lehigh University? The NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia?

And the answer is ... we're still waiting to hear from both sides on that.

Lockout continues; Kolb waits and wonders

By this time, nobody should be surprised that another perceived deadline was missed today for a new NFL collective bargaining agreement to be finalized. It's been this way all summer. Somebody leaks some half-bogus information that the sides are close, then someone inside the room tries to pull an end run (or a Packers sweep, or whatever you want to call it).

But until they get a seal here and a seal here and run that contract right up the alley to paydirt, all we have is a bunch of talking heads speculating about who's not satisfied now and when this thing is going to finally be presented for a vote.

Meanwhile, Eagles backup quarterback Kevin Kolb suffers in relative silence. He knows he's gone as soon as the lockout is lifted, probably traded to Arizona for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a draft pick, but maybe to Seattle or Miami or God knows where, for God knows what.

Kolb did agree to talk about it on the radio yesterday, but then failed to respond to reporters' follow-up calls. No matter. What else could he say but that he hopes to be a starter somewhere after losing his job to injury last season. Claims he still respects the heck out of Eagles coach Andy Reid, though, and that he would have no problem being exiled to Phoenix, where the Cardinals do not run a West Coast offense. (Some people will argue that Kolb didn't run it either, after watching him throughout last year's preseason and then in the season opener against Green Bay, when he was almost mercifully knocked out of the game by Clay Matthews.)

Anyway, the Eagles can't get him out of town fast enough, but only because they'll probably get some solid value in return, like Rodgers-Cromartie, who regressed sufficiently enough last year for the Cardinals to think they'd be getting the better of this trade, if it happens -- an addition by subtraction sort of thing.

Who knows? That may well be true.

But what is definitely not true is the myth being perpetrated by so many fans and even some media folks that Michael Vick can't make it through a season without some kind of major injury issue.

WRONG!!!!!!

That's just not the case. Sure, he might tear is ACL in the opener and be gone for the next year-and-a-half, but his injury history suggests remarkable durability, not fragility, especially considering his style of play.

Last season marked just the second time in his career that Vick missed more than one game due to injury.

Period.

So please, enough of this twisted logic -- the kind that leads to all kinds of false,.revisionist history.

OK, thanks for letting me vent.

Now, back to the Eagles' situation if Kolb is traded. They'll need to bring in a veteran. My choice here is Matt Hasselbeck, if he doesn't re-sign with Seattle. He knows the offense, has played in a Super Bowl and still has the skills to be able to step in and win with the firepower he'll have at his disposal.

As for cornerback, Ray Didinger of CSNPhilly.com suggests potential free agent Jonathan Joseph of the Cincinnati Bengals might be the best fit. "The thing I like about Joseph is he has shown the ability to play both man coverage and zone. He is comfortable in every system," Didinger wrote in this column.So I'll defer to him on this.

Of course, none of this happens without a new CBA. You figure it's gotta get done eventually.

Potentially troublesome news for Brandon Graham

Reports broke all over the Internet minutes ago that Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, their first-round draft pick in 2010, had microfracture surgery in addition to ACL surgery in December, immediately following his season-ending knee injury.

This led to a flurry of phone calls and text messages that led Graham to eventually post on Twitter that he's not doing any more interviews until he gets on the field.

His personal response to my text: "I can't talk about it."

His Twitter post: "I am not doing interviews with nobody until I'm back on the field. Everybody needs to worry about this lockout if anything. I got this!!"

Needless to say, a microfracture procedure changes everything, potentially making it infinitely more difficult for him to get back on the field this next season.

More to come on this, but it's a virtual lock now that the Eagles will be extra aggressive at this position during the frenzied trade/free agency period that will only happen once the NFL lockout is over.

Too bad for Graham, if this is true. If you recall, teammate Victor Abiamiri, another defensive end, had the same procedure last offseason and never made it back to the field.

Let's hear it for the new brand of journalism: speculation. You know, the "reports that surface" from unnamed sources that say something could happen by a certain date. Or some other such nonsense.

Most recently, July 21st has been tossed around as a possible ratification date for a new NFL collective bargaining agreement. What it means is that an agreement could be reached by July 21st. Then again, maybe not.

Same thing for the rapture. I say the rapture could very well happen on or by July 21st. Then again, if it doesn't, I didn't really predict it for certain. Plus, I didn't say which year. So hell yeah, the rapture will definitely happen by July 21st. Book it.

Whatever. July 21 is the date we now fixate on because somebody that may or may not have real inside information said that's a possible target date for a new CBA.

Incredible.

Meanwhile, poor Lehigh University athletic director Joe Sterrett has likely and perhaps even understandably blocked all my numbers, because every time something new breaks from a possible inside source about a possible agreement by the league's owners and players on a possible new contract, we have to make the obligatory phone call to see if Eagles training camp is still feasible and so forth.

Still waiting to hear back from him as of 3:15 p.m., after phone calls and an email from this morning went unreturned.

Just guessing here, but there was no return call because there's nothing new to report. But again, just guessing.

(Update: Sterrett at 3:20 just wrote back to say to say that, indeed, nothing was new. "All I can offer is that we are continuing to be as open-minded and flexible as possible in order to make training camp happen if that is at all a possibility," he wrote. "If the 21st is the date we know for sure, then we (the collective "we" involving Lehigh and the Eagles) will figure out what is possible and what is not based upon that date.")

Meanwhile, there's nothing like covering the lockout from outside the negotiation rooms, then reporting "leaks" that are strategically placed, 100 percent of the time, for someone's benefit. Never mind whether any of the leaks are true. Someone from inside the room said it, so, you know, now it's on Twitter, so it has to be true.

This is the true dynamic of the NFL lockout, folks, believe it or not. Fact is, July 21 is just a date on a board that was struck by more than one dart. These negotiations have been going on forever, and now one or more persons say something could be done by the 21st, as if they suddenly have a precise feel, down to the number of hours it's going to take, for the league to settle the kinds of unprecedented issues it's been facing for the last five months.

To borrow from the late, great George Carlin, "it's all bull****, and it's bad for ya."

Hey, the agreement could well come down just as outlined in the latest, vaguest reports. If that happens, though, it would be strictly coincidental. That's the only certainty here.

... Now, we move on to something verifiable: Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson last month called a punk radio call-in guest something, ahem, worse than a punk. Called him a "gay ass (bleep)ot," to be precise, then wrote some jive on Twitter trying to explain his position. Finally, he came clean with an apology most Americans understand.

OK, no harm, no foul. He said it, he's sorry for it, we move on.

But, hey, Stephen A. Smith, don't you at least have to follow up after that? Apparently not. Not in today's new brand of sports journalism:

Among the issues Jackson covers are the possibility of Plaxico Burress signing with the Eagles (Jackson is all for it) and his thoughts on this next season, which will absolutely, positively get clearance to begin by July 21st.